At Manifa, riding is a way of travelling with an elephant under the guidance of the mahout who knows that elephant. As you sit behind the mahout and move at the elephant’s natural pace through the forest, you enter a living world of relationships among elephants, mahouts and forest—relationships shaped over generations, long before you arrived.

The elephant carrying you is cared for by a mahout who has built a deep relationship with that individual and regards the elephant as both a companion and a member of the family. The knowledge passed down through generations of mahout families—and refined through years with a particular elephant—is not a tradition superseded by modern welfare science. It is an indispensable part of good welfare, enabling the continuous attention on which the elephant’s daily health and well-being depend.

Responsible tourism begins by recognising this whole: the elephant, the mahout, the forest and the history that binds them.

Respect here is expressed not by withdrawing from these relationships, but by entering them with restraint, attention and responsibility.

The sections below explain how this responsibility is practised each day at Manifa.

Three commitments that guide each day

These commitments shape how activities are organised for each elephant each day.

Our commitment	How it works at Manifa
1. Light loads, adapted to each elephant	At Manifa, one mahout and one guest normally ride directly, without a saddle. Because this arrangement involves only two people and no saddle, their combined weight is generally less than 5% of the elephant’s body weight. When a wooden saddle is used, the total load—including the saddle, mahout and guest or guests—remains within 10%. The day’s plan is adjusted whenever an elephant shows fatigue, discomfort or unusual behaviour.
2. Activity balanced with rest	Riding activities are normally scheduled between approximately 9:30 am and 3:00 pm. Depending on the elephant and the day’s programme, an elephant may take part intermittently over a period of about two to five hours. Each hour of activity is followed by at least 15 minutes of rest, with water available during breaks. Riding pauses whenever the temperature reaches 38°C.
3. Forest, foraging and social time every day	Every elephant has time to walk through the forest, forage for grasses, leaves and other natural foods, and spend time near other elephants. Guest activities form only one part of a much longer day shaped by movement, feeding, rest and social contact.

A day shared by elephants and mahouts

The life of an elephant and a mahout extends far beyond the short time that visitors spend with them.

Time	What happens
Morning, before guests arrive	Mahouts meet their assigned elephants and observe their movement, appetite, skin, behaviour and general condition. The elephants have time to walk, eat and go to the river.
Approximately 9:30 am–3:00 pm	Guest activities may include riding, walking beside the elephants, observation and feeding. Activities are separated by regular rest periods and adjusted to the weather and the condition of each elephant.
After the guest programme	The elephants return to forest activities, natural foraging and social contact with other elephants.
Whenever needed	A veterinarian based in Luang Prabang participates in the elephants’ care.

Manifa owns more than 100 hectares of forest for the elephants. Forests on neighbouring privately owned land may also be used, giving the elephants access to a much larger living landscape than the visitor area alone.

Protecting health through standards and experience

Numbers and written standards are important. They help us establish clear limits for weight, activity time, heat, rest and the suitability of walking routes.

But numbers alone cannot tell us how a particular elephant feels today.

Each elephant has an assigned mahout who observes small changes in the way the elephant walks, eats, responds to other elephants or behaves around familiar people. A change that may be invisible to a visitor can be immediately noticeable to someone who has cared for the same elephant for many years.

If a mahout notices an unusual gait, reduced appetite, discomfort or a change in behaviour, the day’s activities can be reduced or cancelled. A veterinarian in Luang Prabang is contacted whenever professional examination or treatment is needed.

Written standards provide a baseline. Daily knowledge of the individual elephant determines what actually happens.

Relationships that began before tourism

The relationship between a mahout and an elephant begins before visitors arrive and continues after they leave.

In Laos, people and elephants have lived and worked together for generations. Elephants were historically involved in forestry, village transport and ceremonies. Tourism now provides much of the income that supports their care, but the knowledge through which mahouts understand particular elephants was not created for tourists.

Many of our mahouts have been working with the same elephant for more than ten years. Our mahout leader, Deng, has been caring for the same elephant for over 15 years.

Our mahouts know where the elephants in their care prefer to forage, how they behave before a storm and when they are not in the mood to work. The elephants, too, recognise their mahouts’ voices, footsteps and touch.

Experienced mahouts work alongside younger team members, and each elephant has an assigned mahout responsible for its daily care.

International guidance

Our operating rules and care practices follow the recommendations published in 2022 by a working group of the IUCN/SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group.

Read the full report: Management and Welfare of Captive Asian Elephants Used in Tourism.

You are free to choose your experience

Experience	What it involves
Walk beside the elephants	Move through the forest alongside the elephants. Supervised feeding and gentle interaction may also be included.
Ride	Ride directly behind the mahout as the elephant walks slowly through the forest. A wooden saddle can be provided whenever additional support is needed, including for older guests.
Observe and feed	Spend time near the elephants, take photographs and offer food provided by the camp.

Whichever experience you choose, your payment supports the same system of elephant care, mahout employment, veterinary assistance and forest management.

At Manifa, welfare is considered across the elephant’s whole life. It cannot be determined by a single activity label.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does carrying people place a heavy burden on an elephant?

At Manifa, a mahout and one guest normally ride directly, and their combined weight is generally less than 5% of the elephant’s body weight. With a saddle, the total load—including the saddle, mahout and guest or guests—remains within 10%.

Weight is not the only consideration. Mahouts also consider the elephant’s size, physical condition, activity time, rest, temperature and the terrain on which it will walk.

Research from Chiang Mai University found that elephants carrying up to 15% of their body weight showed no significant changes in walking patterns. A separate year-long study across multiple camps also suggested that well-managed riding programmes can be associated with lower stress indicators than observation-only programmes, possibly because of increased exercise and natural activity.

These findings do not mean all riding is safe. They show that riding, when carefully managed, can be compatible with good welfare. Manifa operates well below the weights tested in these studies, and the final decision is always based on the individual elephant’s condition that day.

Can children ride?

Children aged four and above may participate in regular riding, provided that the total weight remains within the limit.

Children under four may ride only with a parent or guardian and with a wooden saddle installed for additional security.

The mahout and staff make the final decision according to the child’s size, the combined weight, the elephant and the conditions that day.

Does the saddle hurt the elephant?

We use wooden saddles with cushioning placed underneath. The saddle is positioned so that weight is distributed across the supported areas of the back rather than pressing directly on the spine.

The elephant’s back and skin are checked regularly. If rubbing, sensitivity, pain or any other problem is observed, the saddle is not used and the elephant is rested when necessary.

A saddle can be provided at any time for guests who need additional support, including older guests.

Does a non-riding experience still support the elephants?

Yes. Whichever programme you choose, your payment contributes to elephant food, veterinary care, forest maintenance and mahout employment.

Choosing not to ride does not reduce your contribution. You are welcome to select the experience with which you feel most comfortable.

Finally

At Manifa, riding is not treated as a visitor’s entitlement, but as a practice that carries responsibilities—to the elephant, the mahout and the forest through which they move. It is one way of taking part in a relationship that continues whether visitors come or not.

You are welcome to enter this relationship—on foot or seated behind a mahout who has known that elephant for many years. Come closer than distant observation allows and discover the world that elephants and mahouts inhabit together. Our mahouts will welcome you warmly; the elephants will meet you in their own way.

If you choose to ride at Manifa, you do so not as a consumer of an animal, but as a guest within a living relationship. Here, care, responsibility and dignity sustain a shared future for elephants, mahouts and the forest. If you choose to join us, your presence becomes part of that continuity.

Manifa Elephant Camp Top Page
Explore Manifa Elephant Experiences

What Makes Manifa Elephant Camp Ethically Different?
Protecting Elephants Without Erasing Relationships
About Elephant Riding at Manifa

“The Making of Elephant-Centrism – Moral Reorganisation in Lao Elephant Tourism and Conservation“